With Trevor Bayne’s wife Ashton expecting the couple’s second child—perhaps as early as this weekend—NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Ryan Reed is on standby as a possible substitute for Bayne in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Michigan.
Toward that end, Reed ran three laps in his fellow Roush Fenway Racing driver’s Ford Fusion during Friday’s opening Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice, just in case he has to get behind the wheel of the No. 6 Ford in Sunday’s FireKeepers Casino 400.
Reed is currently sixth in the NASCAR Xfinity Series standings, but he’s not a complete novice in a Cup car. Reed started 18th and finished 26th in an RFR Ford last fall at Talladega, but should he have to fill in for Bayne on Sunday, this would be his first trip at an open-motor track.
Bayne was 20th fastest in Saturday’s first practice session and 19th in final practice.
SHORT STROKES
His car may be blue, but Martin Truex Jr. isn’t. With a lap at 198.385 mph, Truex topped the speed chart in Saturday’s first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series practice. Truex is running the light blue Auto-Owners Insurance paint scheme this weekend. The last time he represented that sponsor, Truex won at Kansas…
Late in Saturday’s final practice, Brad Keselowski surged to the top of the board with a lap at 197.401 mph. Team Penske teammate Joey Logano was fourth fastest. Those two drivers left the track considerably happier than AJ Allmendinger, who clobbered the wall near the exit from Turn 2 in the final minute of practice. “Did he kill it?” crew chief Ernie Cope radioed to spotter Coleman Pressley. The team immediately opted for a backup car, and maybe that’s a good thing. Allmendinger was 28th fastest in final practice.
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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